Read with Me: My List of Faves

These are some books I 10/10 recommend.  I'll add to this as I come across more.  

First is 100%  The Jesus Bible.  I have had many versions of the Bible and study Bibles over the years, but this is the first one I loved so much I can't stop sharing about it.  I got it at a Passion Conference when it first came out.  They gave one to everyone in attendance, and then I stuck it on a shelf for several years.  I already had a perfectly good Bible and a journaling Bible, so I didn't feel the need to read this one too.  I didn't realize the treasure I had just collecting dust.  Last year, I read through the Bible in a year.  It wasn't the first time, but it was the first time I felt like I really understood it.  This specific version has notes and sidebars throughout the Bible connecting to Jesus, and it also has added information for each book of the Bible explaining not just the history but also key themes and more importantly how each book connects to Jesus.  There are so many things I overlooked before that I never would have picked up on.  It is really amazing.  As I read through the Bible last year, I read every single extra note, and it truly brought me greater understanding and a better connection to Jesus.  It also has plenty of space in the margins for notes and journaling, which I love.  Now it comes in beautiful colors and designs and even leatherbound instead of just the grey hardback version I have.  If you need a new study Bible or just need a fresh approach, this is it!!

Next, I have to recommend The Jesus Storybook Bible.  I don't remember when I first heard of this, but I've had it for about a decade now because I've been reading it periodically to my kids since my oldest were toddlers.  Just like The Jesus Bible, this Bible for kids connects all the major stories of the Bible to Jesus, but it does it in such a unique and poetic way.  I have been drawn to tears reading this children's book too many times to count.  Every year, we use this Bible for Advent.  They even made corresponding coloring books and DVDs that my kids have with the same sweet artwork.  The kids like to color as I'm reading the same story.  The DVDs are very calming and great for a relaxing movie to help your kiddos wind down at night that isn't more mind-numbing YouTube videos.  These would definitely make great Easter basket stuffers.  If you need a good children's Bible to introduce some of the big Bible stories to your kids, this is it.  This also makes a great Baby Shower or 1st birthday gift!

#3 - I haven't updated this since 3/24/24, and it's 8/3/26, so it's been over a year and half, but somewhere since then, I was introduced to Charles Martin.  This was my first book by him, When Crickets Cry.  I was so moved by this book!  It's the story of a young girl in need of a heart transplant.  I can't give you much more that that other than it moved me to my core.  The way he writes is so detailed, and I learned so much about the heart, even though this is a work of fiction. Since then, I have read almost all of his books, probably 20 or so.  He's an excellent writer, and I can't recommend this one in particular enough.  I also absolutely LOVED his books The Mountain Between Us (great if you like survival stories), Water from My Heart (Just such a moving story of a town in need of a well), and The Keeper Series (A book about a dynamic duo that works to free people from sex trafficking), just to name a few.  

#4 - I am a pretty big Kristin Hannah fan.  I have to say, her older works are pretty mediocre and I haven't loved them as much, but a few of her books easily make it into my list of all time favorites.  The Great Alone is one of them.  This is basically a story about a girl surviving a lot of difficulties, one of which being the wilderness of Alaska.  As someone who grew up loving The Boxcar Children and playing pretend like we were actually the boxcar children surviving on our own, and as someone who lived through Y2K and actually thought the world was ending and even took a class on doomsday prep 😂, I have always been drawn to survival books. This is such a beautiful, intense, riveting story.  It made me want to read all of her books, so I'm a little disappointed they don't all live up to this one.

Teachers started back to school today, and it's already after 10, so I'm going to call it a night.  I haven't blogged in over a year, so it feels good to get back to it and I wish I wouldn't have waited until summer ended.  I'll be back soon with some more recs, including It Is Finished by Charles Martin, The Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah, and The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.  Francine Rivers is also a great writer, and her books The Lady's Mine and The Mark of the Lion Trilogy are all some of my favorites as well.  I love to talk books, so if you have any recommendations, let me know and I'll add them to my ever growing TBR list.  Thank you!